The Roger
- Midtown

Overview

As stylish as the Madison Avenue boutiques a few blocks away, The Roger hotel in midtown Manhattan is a true New Yorker. The lobby is fashion-show fabulous display of herringbone wooden floors, blue-velvet chaises longue and Mad Men-evoking houndstooth chairs. Upstairs, bedrooms are decorated with striking noir shots of iconic local spots, and many have views of the Empire State Building.

Highlights:

Penthouse terraces with Empire State views

Glamorous lobby photo gallery

Central-Manhattan location

Smith extra

Two welcome drinks on arrival

In the know

Also need to know:

Rooms 505 (a Superior) and 615 (an Executive) are wheelchair-accessible, with roll-in showers. Get thee to the Lobby from 5pm to 6pm to drink your fill of free glasses of wine; the Roger's top-drawer take on happy hour. Take a closer look at the photos on display throughout the lobby: each is an otherwise unpublished celebrity shot – including the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Jay-Z – taken in New York City.

Packing tips:

Bring cards or games to play in the lobby-lounge: it’s a bright, hip meeting spot, and the ideal place to hang out at the end of the day.

Dress code:

Madison Avenue modern.

Mr and Mrs Smith reviews

Every hotel is visited personally by members of our team prior to review and given the Smith seal of approval. As soon as our anonymous reviewers have returned from this boutique hotel in Manhattan and unpacked their architecture books and shopping bags, a full account of their city escape will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek the Roger hotel in New York City…

Black and white and chic all over, the Roger hotel couldn’t be more ‘New York’ if it were sipping a martini and carrying a Bloomingdales bag.

A strapping Madison Avenue resident that favours retro photography, houndstooth and bold stripes, the Manhattan hotel can hold its own in the style stakes compared to New York’s most glamorous inhabitants. Following a top-to-bottom revamp, the Murray Hill hotel reopened in the summer of 2012 with smart, simple rooms that pay homage to the classic New York aesthetic. A black-and-white photograph of an iconic NYC location tops every headboard, and many rooms look up at the nearby Empire State Building. The love for the locale extends into the room-service menu: macaroni and cheese is made with selections from beloved West Village cheese shop Murray’s; and the Big Apple’s cult bartender Johnny Swet devised a menu of juleps, martinis and champagne cocktails for the Parlour. Perhaps that’s why guests aren’t the only ones who like the chic, exposed-brick lobby-lounge: hip New Yorkers habitually duck into the bright, low-key spot for drinks and a break from the city bustle.

Accommodation details

Address:

131 Madison Avenue, New York 10016, United StatesMidtownUSA

Location:

0.8 mi / 1.3 km from city centre

General facilities

Valet parking

Exercise gym

Internet services

Complimentary in-room coffee or tea

Room service

Lounges/bars

Onsite laundry

Restaurant

Dining information

Restaurant:

Chef Julie Farias of hip local restaurant Goat Town consulted on The Parlour’s fanciful bistro-style menu, which includes soda-dipped fried chicken, an oyster po-boy and a short-rib burger. Dairy is a great bet here: the restaurant uses selections from Murray’s Cheese for – what else? – its grilled cheese and gooey, stringy macaroni and cheese. Breakfast goodies include pastries from Ceci Cela, granola from Sarabeth's, salmon from Petrossian deli, H&H bagels and a bespoke coffee blend from the Allann Bros in Oregon.

Top Table:

Grab a round two-person table near the windows, which are deep-set and have a striped window-seat that’s ideal for stashing purses and extra bags.

Last Orders:

The bar serves drinks from noon until midnight; the restaurant keeps going all day from 6.30am until midnight.

Room Service:

The full lounge menu can be delivered to your room until midnight.

Hotel Bar:

Sit at the five-seat lobby bar to try cocktails developed by cult New York bartender Johnny Swet. The house drink, the Roger, combines champagne, chocolate bitters and strawberry purée, and we like the summery watermelon martini,with citrus vodka, St Germain and fresh watermelon.